Graphic: Net migration falls as new student visas drop by 20 per cent

Net migration to the UK decreased in 2011 compared to the previous year as
fewer student visas were granted and more people left the country, according
to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Long term immigration to the UK was 566,000 in 2011, while 350,000 people emigrated.

That puts net migration in 2011 at 216,000, which is lower than the figure for 2010 when net migration was 252,000, but is not a "statistically significant" number, according to the ONS.

The long term trend for immigration to the UK is broadly similar to every year since 2004, when immigration spiked as eight new countries from Eastern Europe joined the European Union, allowing citizens from those countries to move and reside freely within EU countries.

Immigration statistics are calculated by combining international migration figures with entry clearance visas issued by the Home Office and new national insurance number allocations.

There was a fall of 21 per cent to 282,833 in the number of new visas issued for study purposes compared to the previous year.